Process of providing knitted fabrics with self-fringe



M. SHALETTE Dec, 3, 1935.

I PROCESS OF PROVIDING KNITTED FABRICS WITH SELF FRINGE Filed March 16', 1935 INVENTOR Morris S/zaZsZZ- BY M MW A'ITORNEYS Patented Dec. 3, 1935 UNITED STATES PROCESS OF PROVIDING KNITTED FABRICS WITH SELF-FRINGE Morris Shalette, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to White Star Mills, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 16, 1935, Serial No. 11,399

2 Claims.

My present invention relates to a method of providing a knitted fabric with an unkm'tted self fringe or with a decorative design or both, and aims to devise a method of the character indicated, which is simple and economical to practice, requires little alteration of existing knitting machinery, and which results in a very inexpensive fabric for use in the manufacture of attractively decorative soarfs, and like garments.

My present invention also relates to the fabric and finished garment resulting from the practice of the aforesaid method.

' Before describing my invention in detail, I deem it advisable, briefly, to refer to the prior art in the field to which the present invention relates, to the disadvantages thereof, and to the manner in which the present invention overcomes such disadvantages.

It has, heretofore, been the practice, in finishing garments such as scarfs, to provide the same with a finished edge, and then secure thereto a separate fringe. As a result, the cost of the garment is unnecessarily increased. For a considerable length of time it has been sought to 5 provide such garments with a type of fringe which would not increase the cost of the completed article, but all without success. Such a fringe is an unknitted self-fringe, or one which is made directly from and integral with the ma- 30 terial of which the fabric itself is made. Applicant discovered the way to do this, and has embodied his ideas in the present invention.

Furthermore, but while not primarily intended for the purpose, applicant discovered that by us- 35 ing the method of the present invention, attractive designs can be worked into the fabric without having to resort to additional costly pattern wheels or other means for embellishing a knitted fabric.

40 In the accompanying specification I shall describe, and in the annexed drawing show, an illustrative embodiment of the method of the present invention, and the manner in which a portion of an almost conventional, circular knit- 45 ting machine may be utilized to attain the result, although it is to be clearly understood that I do not wish to be limited to the exact details shown and described herein for purposes of illustration only. It is to be further understood that although 50 I have shown in the drawing the application of my method to a circular knitting machine, it is not limited, in its application, to such a machine, but may also be employed in connection with a fiat knitting machine.

55 In the accompanying drawing:--

Fig. 1 is a. perspective view of a knitted scarf, provided with a self-fringe, and a decorative design made in accordance with the method of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of the knitted fabric made in accordance with the present invention, and just prior to the finishing of the fringe;

Fig. 3 is a transverse, sectional view of a portion of a conventional knitting machine, showing the manner in which the same has been altered for and adapted to the practice of the present invention; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a tubular or cylindrical strip of the knitted fabric, showing 15 the manner in which the same is cut and opened to present a self -fringe,

Referring now more in detail to the aforesaid illustrative embodiment of the method of the present invention, and with particular reference 20 to the drawing, wherein there is shown a portion of a circular knitting machine with which said method may be utilized, the numeral Ill generally designates a cylindrical needle-carrying member, provided in its outer face, with a plurality of longitudinally disposed grooves II receptive of vertically reciprocable needles 12. The latter are conventional in construction (except as hereinafter specifically stated) and consist of a shank I3 near the lower end of which there is integrally formed a butt l4, and at the upper end of which there is formed a hook IS with which cooperates a latch l6.

The base in of the member ID is provided with a circular groove I1, in which rides, so as to revolve about the needles l2, a ring I8, motion to which is imparted by the usual knitting machine drive (not shown). The ring l8 carries a plurality of brackets 19 which support stub shafts 20, on which are rotatably mounted pattern 40 wheels 2| which are supported at an angle, other than a right angle with respect to the needles I 2 and which, as is readily understood by those skilled in the art, are adapted to cooperate with the needles to accomplish the knitting. The needles are brought into and moved out of operative relation with the pattern wheels by oppositely disposed cams (not shown) carried by the ring l8 immediately before and after each of the wheels 2|.

Formed with the member ID is a ring 22 provided with a plurality of grooves 23 positioned intermediate the grooves ll carrying the needles l2, these grooves being receptive of radially slidable sinkers 24, which remove the work from the needles as each stitch is completed; the sinkers being operable by cams (not shown) carried by a ring 25 supported by and rotatable with the ring IB.

It will be understood that as the ring l8 rotates, the cams carried thereby will move the needles 12 into and out of operative relation with the pattern wheels 2|, and while in operative relation, the pattern wheels will act upon the needles to cause them to knit the fabric generally designated as A. i

I have discovered that by mutilating certain of the needles I2 to the extent of removing the hook l5 and latch I6 thereof, as shown at 26 in Fig. 3 of the drawing, stitches are dropped and no knitting is accomplished when these particular needles are acted upon by the pattern wheels 2|.

While I mention mutilating certain of the needles [2, it is to be understood that all that it is necessary to do is to render the needles inoperative whether by mutilating the same or by any other means.

I have further discovered that although no knitting is accomplished, the yarn is continually fed to the machine so that if a predetermined number of needles are rendered inoperative, a portion of the resulting fabric consists merely of longitudinal threads. The number of needles rendered inoperative governs the width of the unknitted portion, and the latter, when operated upon as will now be described, constitutes a selffringe or an integral fringe.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 2 of the drawing, there-is'there shown two (2) unknitted portions B, between which there is a short width of knitted fabric C, this having been attained by permitting the usual operation of a certain number of the needles between two (2) groups of needles which have been rendered inoperative. It is of course to be understood that the knitted portion C does not necessarily have to be included; instead, the unknitted portions B may be a singular portion extending between the adjacent edges of the main body portion A.

After the fabric A is removed from the machine, it is tubular in form, as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawing, and it may be cut, as at 21, into strips of any desired width. The unknitted portions B can be severed from each other by cutting along the edges of the central knitted portions C, thus presenting at each end of the fabric an unknitted self-fringe D, the edges of the portion C acting as guide lines for the cutting.

Thereafter, if it is desired to make a scarf, one of the strips of the knitted fabric may be folded over as at 28 and provided with a seam, as at 29. There will then be presented, as shown in Fig. l of the drawing, a scarf E having at each end an unknitted self-fringe F.

It will be understood that if desired, the omission of stitches or the provision of the unknitted portions may be utilized for decorative purposes as more clearly shown at G in Fig. l of the draw- This completes the description of the aforesaid illustrative embodiment of the method of the present invention. It will be noted from such description that the method of the present invention is simple and economical to practice, requires practically no new means for its practice, and results in a very desirable and attractive fabric provided with a self-fringe, or a decorative design or both.

Other superiorities and advantages of the method of the present invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which the present invention relates.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In the method of making a knitted fabric, the

steps of omitting a predetermined number of stitches to provide an unknitted portion of predetermined size, then continuing the knitting for a predetermined distance, then omitting an additional number of stitches to provide another unknitted portion of a predetermined size, and thereafter removing the central knitted portion by cutting the same away from the unknitted portions at the side edges thereof.

2. The method of making a knitted fabric which consists of the steps of knitting a main body portion, then carrying the threads from the edge of said main body portion across an unknitted area of predetermined size, then knitting a central auxiliary portion, then carrying the threads from the adjacent edge of said central auxiliary portion across another unknitted area of predetermined size to the remaining edge of said main body portion, and thereafter removing the central auxiliary knitted portion from the unknitted areas by cutting the same away along the side edges thereof to form self-fringes on the edges of said main body portion.

MORRIS SHALETTE. 

